


Magen David

by Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-01 22:07:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17252255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan/pseuds/Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan
Summary: "I would sooner die than take this necklace off!" Ziva's second Star of David necklace has a story to tell. Part of the "You Complete Me" universe.





	Magen David

Magen David

_"I would sooner die than take this necklace off!" Ziva's second Star of David necklace has a story to tell._

**November 2009** : The small medium blue velvet box appeared on her desk one morning about a week before her birthday. She spotted it immediately when entering her workspace. No bow, no card, just what appeared to be a jeweler's box. It was approximately 3.5 by 7 by 4.5 cm in dimension. Ziva looked it over carefully before attempting to pick the box up or even open it.

Gibbs came into the bullpen with a cup of coffee in his hand, "Something wrong, David?"

"Um, no, I was just wondering where this box came from and who put it there?" She pointed to the small box and looked at her boss with a question in her eyes.

Gibbs looked and shook his head, "Wasn't me. Wasn't there last night when I left."

"Oh!" Ziva continued to study the box, wondering if it was one of Tony's pranks. He hadn't been pulling any pranks on her since they came home from Somalia, though. She decided to ask more questions of the others before moving the object or looking inside.

"Morning, Boss. Good morning, Ziva!" Tim stepped into the bullpen with a smile on his face.

"Good morning, Tim!" Ziva greeted her teammate.

Tim looked over at her; she seemed a bit too cheery in her greeting. He raised an eyebrow at her expression, and gulped when she motioned him to come to her desk. He got up slowly, wondering what Tony had set him up for now.

"McGee; do you know anything about this?" Ziva pointed to the small velvet box on her desk.

"Um, no, Ziva, um, this is the first time I've seen it." Tim replied. "Just open it if you're so curious!"

Ziva narrowed her eyes, "What if it is one of Tony's pranks? Did he tell you to tell me to open it?"

"NO!" Tim walked back to his desk, not quite sure what the big deal was. If Ziva was so curious, why not just open the box, albeit carefully? Tim couldn't think of much that Tony could have put into that tiny a box anyhow.

Tony stepped off the elevator at the tail end of the conversation. He glanced over at Ziva as he entered his desk area. She glared at him and he met her gaze, locking eyes with her.

"Did you leave something on my desk, Tony?" Ziva questioned.

"What do you mean?" Tony acted coy. It raised Ziva's hackles; she was now convinced that the box was one of his pranks.

"THIS!" She pointed to the small velvet box. "I am not tripping for one of your pranks."

Ziva, McGee and Gibbs looked at Tony waiting for his response. "It's not a prank, Zee-vah," he answered. "It's for you; just a little something I thought you'd like… But I can take it back if you don't… I mean, I can take it unopened or… "

Gibbs picked up the box and walked over to Tony. SLAP! He handed the box to the agent, who was now rubbing the back of his head. "Get to work! All of you! Dinozzo, NO PRANKS, understood?"

"Yes, Boss, um… It's not a prank!" Tony tried to explain but Gibbs glared at him and he decided he didn't need another head slap. "Shutting up now, Boss." He slipped the box into his jacket pocket and sat at his desk, glancing at the other two, who were working at their computers.

So much for surprising Ziva with a small gift that she would appreciate; he would have to find another way to get it to her. He really didn't want to make a big fuss about it and had hoped she would have opened the box out of curiosity when she came in this morning. Oh, well… he sighed, not realizing it was audible until Gibbs glared at him again.

The glare was cut short by the ringing of Gibbs' phone. "Yeh, Abs," Gibbs answered the device. "Got it." He ended the call in his usual brusque manner. "McGee, do your thing…" he motioned to Tim who had just opened the message from Abby about the DNA match to their victim and crime scene.

The team moved in front of the plasma, and Tim clicked through the results from Abby. The match showed that the next door neighbor of their victim was actually his sister.

"David, DiNozzo, bring in the sister; Tim, MTAC with me," Gibbs barked orders as the others scrambled. Tony and Ziva grabbed their gear, weapons, and ID and headed to the elevator. Tony patted his pocket to verify the box was still there.

The pair was walking to the sister's front door when Tony's phone rang. "It's McGee," Tony glanced at the screen. "DiNozzo… WHAT?... yeah, okay, we'll head back." Tony ended the call and turned to Ziva, who had been looking in the windows along the front porch when no one answered her knock.

"You won't find anyone," Ziva turned to face Tony. "Tim said that she is at NCIS; turned herself in!"

Ziva shrugged, "A wasted trip then?"

"Not really," Tony replied. "We have an excuse to get lunch out of the office." He grinned at Ziva. "I'm buying!"

"Well, okay, since you are buying, I am hungry! Where are we going?"

"You choose!" Tony slipped his hand into his pocket and fingered the velvet box. Maybe, just maybe, the gods of karma were in his favor today. He could give Ziva the gift without prying eyes.

Ziva chose the team's favorite Chinese take-out place; they had a small area with tables to eat in. She ordered fried rice with veggies and Tony ordered teriyaki beef with fried rice. Ziva took the drink cups and got them both a beverage while Tony waited for the food.

Ziva sat at the table watching Tony. He kept putting his hand in his jacket pocket; for some reason he was more fidgety than usual. She thought back to the box that had been on her desk that morning. Maybe she should have just given him the benefit of the doubt and not made such a big deal over it. But he was being NICE to her; had been since the team arrived back in the States when they rescued her from Somalia. Her hand instinctively went to her neck to fidget with her necklace as it always did when she was stressed. Damn, why did Saleem have to rip it off her? It was the last thing of Tali's that Ziva had.

"I can fix that," Tony startled her from her thoughts. He put her plate of fried rice in front of her and put his own plate across from her. He reached into his pocket and put the small velvet box by Ziva's right hand. "Here; it's for you."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Ziva glared at her partner.

Tony shrugged, "I care?" He nudged the box closer to her hand and then picked up his fork to eat.

She eyed the box and moved the food around on her plate with her fork. She looked up to see him watching her, and she would swear she saw love in his eyes. "I do not want your pity." She looked back down at her plate and forced herself to take a bite of the food.

"Open it," he responded softly still looking at her while he ate.

"Fine." Ziva picked up the box and opened the hinge. "Oh…" Inside was a Star of David necklace. It was smaller than the old one, and the chain was more delicate. The gold star had a brushed finish and it beckoned her with its beauty. "I… I… do not… know… what to… say."

Tony grinned at her and moved next to her, taking the necklace from its box. "Hold your hair out of the way," he wrapped the chain around and fastened the clasp. "I know it's not your sister's, but it is still a Magen David." He spoke softly as she turned to him.

"Toda raba, Tony. It is beautiful." Ziva locked gazes with her partner.

The ringing of her phone broke them both out of the moment. "David. Yes, Gibbs. We are on the way back. Yes." She pulled the phone away from her ear. "Gibbs is wondering where we are. Let us go." Tony cleared the plates to the trash, his own just about empty. He noticed that Ziva had eaten only about a third of her rice and veggies.

 **1 October 2013** : Ziva quickly removed her necklace as Tony checked his bag at the counter in the airport. She slipped it into her jeans pocket as he came over to her. She watched his every move, wanting to engrave his image into her brain. It took all of her remaining strength to stand by her decision to deal with her inner demons on her own and send this man who she loved with every cell in her being back to the States.

"There's still time for you to change your mind, you know." He grinned at her, but she could see tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

"Tony, you are so…" Ziva put her hand into her pocket and grasped the fine chain and the tiny note she had written earlier.

"Funny? Handsome? What?"

"LOVED!" She put her hand on his chest, the necklace and small scrap of paper hidden under her fingers. As she moved her hand, she dropped the chain with its pendant and the tiny note into his pocket as their lips crashed together.

Once on the plane, Tony found the necklace in his pocket and smiled when he pulled it out. She had given him hope and a promise that she would eventually return to him! Back in DC, he kept the necklace with him for the first week or so. He would reach into his pocket to finger the delicate chain as a reminder of her. He tried wearing it, but the chain was a bit short for his neck and the pendant bale caught in his chest hair. After thinking he had lost the necklace when he had been unable to find it in his pocket one day, he started carrying it to work and placing it in his desk drawer each morning and then carrying it home at night. During the time he dated Zoe, the necklace stayed in his desk drawer.

 **MAY 2016** : He grabbed the necklace from his desk drawer as soon as the name 'David' hit his ears from the news report. He felt her presence immediately and that calmed him slightly. He HAD to go to her; he couldn't stay in DC if she were hurt or in danger. McGee booked him on a flight to Tel Aviv; he was still rooted to the spot in front of the TV until Gibbs barked at him.

"What are you waiting for? GO!" Tony snapped out of his head and into the here and now. He grabbed his bag and ran to the elevators, mentally gathering items needed for his trip. Her necklace was still twined in his fingers; her memory coming to the forefront of his thoughts. He barely registered the drive home, or entering his place. He went to his bedroom and began putting clothing into bags. He was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Huffing, he strode to the door; his Dad came inside as soon as the door was opened. "Junior, I heard on the news..."

"Look, Dad, I'd love to chat, but I have a plane to catch in four hours." Tony walked back to his bedroom to resume packing and Senior followed him.

"You're going to Israel," Senior stated. "You do know it's going to be okay, don't you?"

"Dad, I don't know anything. Yes, I have this feeling that she's alive, but…" Another knock at the door interrupted yet again. "That'll be my ride." Senior moved to answer the door as Tony continued packing his bags and zipping them closed.

"Son…" Tony looked up to see Tim and Abby behind Senior. Abby's eyes were red-rimmed and Tim looked close to tears himself. He slid his hand into his jacket pocket and wrapped the fine gold chain through his fingers.

Abby, Tim, and Senior watched Tony slip into full meltdown mode; Ziva's necklace intertwined in his fingers and the star pressed to his lips. All three were at a loss; they knew there was nothing they could say to or do for Tony at that point except let him grieve. The three moved to the living room, quietly discussing the news and their concern for the broken man in the bedroom.

"We can stay if you need us, Senior," Abby offered.

"No, you go home and take care of you," Senior hugged Abby. "I'll make sure he's okay and keep an eye on him. If I need you, I'll call." He hugged Tim before the pair left. After locking the door, Senior moved to the bedroom, observing his son from the doorway. He had never seen Junior like this. He moved to the bed and noticed that the man seemed to have cried himself to sleep. He pulled a blanket over his son and dimmed the light. Back in the living room, Senior made himself comfortable on the sofa with a glass of Scotch, the three oversized pillows and a throw. Within thirty minutes, Senior fell asleep.

Tony listened to the sounds of his apartment as he emerged from sleep. He didn't hear voices, which was a good thing in his view. He didn't need sympathy or pity from anyone; he didn't want to talk about it either. Shifting into no emotions gear, he stood up and went to the bathroom to take care of necessity and wash his face with a cool washcloth.

'Keep busy,' was his first thoughts. The best way to keep busy? Go to the Navy Yard; sit at his desk and find the son of a bitch Kort… In the living room, he spotted Senior asleep on the sofa, and quietly grabbed his pack, keys, wallet and weapon. He opened and closed the door softly so as to not wake his father.

In the car, he pulled Ziva's necklace from his pocket and threaded it through his fingers as he gripped the wheel and steeled his resolve. He would NOT cry, he would NOT show emotion, he would swallow the grief yet again and appear to be 'okay.'

The night guard waved him through the gate; he parked in the nearest available space to the main entrance and strode into the building, his façade in place. The night clerk waved him through the security checkpoint and he entered the empty elevator.

In the bullpen, he put his pack in its usual spot and sat in his chair, the necklace still in his hand. He slipped the chain into his shirt pocket and logged in to his computer. Then he made the mistake of looking up; specifically up at HER desk. He saw her sitting there, smiling at him with that smile she kept just for him.

Oh, god, he was going to lose it right here; he swallowed hard and blinked, willing the tears to go away. No, keep it under check, no emotion; get to the job at hand. His mind screamed conflicting thoughts and his heart broke all over again.

"What are you doing here?" Gibbs' voice brought him back to the here and now.

"What am I doing?" Tony yelled at Gibbs. "What are you doing? What are WE doing?"

Gibbs gave his Senior field agent a look as the man continued, "Are we sure?"

"Ya, she's dead!" Tony looked up in shock; how could Gibbs be so cruel in his statement; how could he be so emotionless?

"She was a sister to McGee and Abby; a daughter to you…"

"She was MORE than an agent to you!" Gibbs tone was accusatory; Tony felt the Boss was pushing him to the edge.

"She was no more to me than anybody," Tony lied, trying to ground himself and keep from completely unhinging. Angry at Gibbs, angry at Kort, angry at the world for taking her away, and angry at himself for not protecting her; he fought hard to control the tears that were already spilling.

"That's not true!" Senior appeared from the elevator. "Come home; get your bearings, son."

"He's right! GO!" Gibbs left no argument with his tone. "Or go for good." What the hell? "We got this."

Tired of fighting the pain, tired of fighting the huge hole tearing through his entire being, he broke down in sobs at his desk. Gibbs walked away, leaving Senior to deal with the broken mess that was his son. He put a hand on Junior's shoulder, not knowing what else to do. "Let's go home, son." Tony nodded and allowed his father to lead him to the elevator. By the time father and son got to the ground floor, Tony had steeled his outward appearance. Once in the parking lot, he told his dad that he was okay to drive home. Senior followed behind.

At home, Tony fell onto the bed exhausted and cried himself to sleep. He was awakened by the ringing of his phone. "DiNozzo," he answered without checking the caller ID.

He heard Leon Vance over the line, "Agent DiNozzo, I need you to come in to my office ASAP. It's important."

"Thirty minutes okay?"

"Yes," Vance ended the call.

Tony showered and dressed, slipping the Star of David into his shirt pocket. Magen David; Shield of David translated literally; Star of David in common meaning. It would be his shield against the cruelties of the world that had turned on him and shattered his heart.

Four hours later, his whole world had been turned upside down another time! He looked at the sleeping little girl; she looked so much like her mother. Vance had insisted that swabs for DNA testing be taken before the new father took his baby girl home. Tony didn't need any swabs; he knew in his heart that this precious little human was his child from the moment she looked at him in Vance's office.

"ABBA," Tali pointed to the image in the frame.

"What did you say, Tali?" Tony's heart was just about bursting when she pointed to Ima and Abba.

"Ima, Abba."

"Abba?"

Tali nodded, looking at him and pointed to the picture and then at her real life Abba. Senior had to fight the tears. Tony felt his heart fill with love for the child that he and Ziva had created.

"She knows me!"

"Tali, you're gonna like this," Tony reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out Ziva's necklace. "This was Ima's and now it's Tali's!" Tali reached out to touch the dangling pendant.

"Ima's!" Tony put the necklace around his baby's neck and fastened the clasp. Tali picked up the pendant and looked at it. It was only right that Tali have the symbol that her mother wore with pride and a fierce devotion. It would forever connect her to her Ima.

 **September 2016** : Tali wore the Star of David everywhere she went. She seemed to sense its connection to both her Abba and Ima and its importance to Ima. She even refused to let Tony take it off for the bath. When Tony would get lost in his head, Tali would often come over to him and hold out the pendant to him, saying just one word, "IMA!" When he would look at her, she would press the star to his lips and then hug him. Her small gesture gave him hope; her simple understanding that he was hurting and she wanted to offer comfort strengthened the developing bond between father and daughter.

When Ziva walked into the flat on that rainy September morning, Tali had been fingering the star more than usual. Tali had shown her Ima the necklace after the initial shock of seeing each other wore off.

"You gave her the Magen David," Ziva stated.

"Yeah, it seemed right for her to have a connection to you," Tony shrugged. "It helped me too. It's kinda small for my neck anyhow."

Ziva smiled through her tears, "Yes…"

Three days after Ziva returned, she and Tali were playing with a floor puzzle. Tali looked up at her Ima and grinned. She walked over and hugged her mother, then held out the pendant towards Ziva. "Ima," Tali motioned her hand in Ziva's direction. She then pulled the chain over her head and handed it to her mother. "Ima's; you take."

Ziva hugged the toddler; tears were running down her face. "Are you sure, motek? I can get another one."

Tali nodded, "Ken, Ima. It yours."

Both mother and daughter heard a sound from the doorway and looked up to see Tony blowing his nose. He also had tears flowing freely down his cheeks. He opened his arms as he walked towards his girls; they both melted into his embrace. "I love you both so much," he whispered.

 **2 January 2067** : Chaim had to make a tough decision at Slater's funeral home. Charles had asked him about their mother-in-law's Star of David necklace. Should they leave it on Ziva or should it go to one of the children? Both men knew that each of Ziva's daughters had their own similar necklaces, but only Tali wore hers constantly. Chaim agonized over the choices. "Can I let you know tomorrow?" Charles nodded.

As he drove back to his in-law's house, the home his wife and her siblings had grown up in, he mentally went through the possible answers to Charles' question. He could leave it on Ziva and let it be buried with her ashes in Israel. He could have Charles remove the necklace and have the daughters decide who should have it. He could take it for his wife since he knew how much it meant to her. Tali had told him the story of how her Abba had bought the Magen David for her Ima. Tali herself had worn it for several months before reuniting with her Ima. He could let Anthony decide what to do with it. He could put the question to the five siblings and let them decide.

He sighed; so many choices, all of them valid possibilities… what to do? Back at the DiNozzo house, he watched his wife in her 'take charge' mode. She was so like her Ima in that respect; strong, take the lead, take no crap. She spotted him walking in the entry foyer and came over. Chaim pulled Tali into an embrace and put a light kiss on her lips. He intertwined her fingers in his, squeezing her hand lightly.

"Thank you, love," Tali squeezed back and moved off to talk to LJ in the living room. Chaim sighed inwardly; even pinning his wife still long enough to make a decision was going to be a challenge!

As activity wound down for the evening, the five siblings and their spouses and Uncle Tim were the only ones left in the family room, Tali finally sat still. She leaned into Chaim as he wrapped an arm around her. They all reminisced until some of them started yawning. Katie rose to take Uncle Tim home. She was followed by Savannah who wanted to get home to her children. John and Charles also left to go home to waiting children, leaving the five DiNozzos and Chaim.

LJ and Anthony moved into the living room to check on the weather for the next day; Beth and Rivka headed to the kitchen to finish up dishes from the meals during the day. Tali tried to get up to help her sisters, but Chaim pulled her back.

"They have it; rest, Tals. You've been stuck on go all day," Chaim put his hand on hers.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Tali leaned into her husband's touch as he put his other hand on her face.

Chaim gazed at her green eyes, holding her attention. "Neshama?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you want to do about your Ima's Magen David?"

Tali blinked hard, fighting the tears. She raised her fingers to her own star, touching it gently. Chaim had seen her mother do the same thing so many times. "I... I… don't know… It meant so much to her."

Chaim listened as his wife breathed deeply, grounding herself and trying not to cry. He stroked her cheek, wiping the tears that spilled despite her best efforts to contain them.

"I don't know, Chaim, I really don't know. Ima never took that necklace off; Abba gave it to her, you know." Chaim nodded. "Will you make a decision and let Charles know, please?" He nodded again, watching Tali finger her pendant, so like her Ima.

That's when he knew the right decision in his heart and mind; he would tell Charles to put Ziva's necklace in the urn with the ashes of his in-laws. That way it would be forever with them.


End file.
